Players of Paris Saint Germain and Istanbul Basaksehir leave the pitch after an argument between the Turkish players and the fourth referee during the Champions League match n Paris on Tuesday. Francois Mori/Associated Press

 

PARIS — The Champions League game between Paris Saint-Germain and Basaksehir was postponed until Wednesday when players walked off the field on Tuesday after alleging that fourth official Sebastian Coltescu of Romania used a racial term when identifying an assistant coach.

Players from the Turkish team were furious after assistant coach Pierre Webo was shown a red card by referee Ovidiu Hategan of Romania at Parc des Princes, saying Coltescu had used a racial term to describe Webo, who is from Cameroon, before he was sent off.

Basaksehir substitute Demba Ba demanded that the fourth official explain himself, while PSG players Neymar and Kylian Mbappe also demanded an explanation. Basaksehir Coach Okan Buruk said “you are racist” to Coltescu.

The scored was 0-0 when the incident took place about 15 minutes into the match. UEFA said the match would resume on Wednesday evening with new officials.

“Following an incident at tonight’s UEFA Champions League match between Paris Saint-Germain FC and Istanbul Basaksehir FK, UEFA has – after discussion with both clubs – decided on an exceptional basis to have the remaining minutes of the match played tomorrow with a new team of match officials,” UEFA said late Tuesday.

Advertisement

“A thorough investigation on the incident that took place will be opened immediately,” it added.

Television footage captured the exchange between the fourth official and the referee, with Coltescu telling Hategan that Webo should be reprimanded for his behavior on the sidelines:

“Go and give it (the red card) to the Black one, this is not possible (tolerable), go and identify him, go verify, the Black one over there,” Coltescu allegedly said, in Romanian, about Webo.

Webo was enraged and was heard to repeat at least six times “Why you say negro?” as he sought an explanation from Coltescu.

Moments later, Ba came off the bench and stood in front of Coltescu and said: “Why when you mention a black guy, you have to say ‘This black guy?’”

During the interruption, Basaksehir posted a message on Twitter against a UEFA backdrop with the message “NO TO RACISM.”

Advertisement

PSG defender Presnel Kimpembe, who was on the field during the game, also posted that message on his Twitter account.

• Cristiano Ronaldo got the better of Lionel Messi by scoring two penalties to lead Juventus to a 3-0 win at Barcelona on Tuesday, dealing the Spanish side its first home defeat in the Champions League in seven years.

With both teams already through, Ronaldo converted spot kicks for Juventus’ 13th-minute opener and a third goal early in the second half after U.S. midfielder Weston McKennie had doubled the advantage in the 20th.

Messi and Ronaldo briefly embraced with one arm behind each other’s back and exchanged a few words before kickoff at a Camp Nou that remains empty because of coronavirus restrictions.

• Three-time European champion Manchester United was knocked out of the Champions League after losing 3-2 at Leipzig.

The German team’s win assured it of progression to the knockout stage with a three-point lead over United in Group H. Paris Saint-Germain, which is level on points with United, is also through to the last 16 due to its better head-to-head record against United.

• Denys Popov headed the only goal of the game as Dynamo Kyiv secured a spot in the Europa League knockout stage by beating Ferencvaros 1-0 in their last Champions League group game.

• Lazio advanced to the knockout stage of the Champions League for the first time in 20 years after drawing 2-2 at home to 10-man Club Brugge.

• Axel Witsel scored on his return to Russia to ensure Borussia Dortmund topped its Champions League group with a 2-1 win over Zenit St. Petersburg.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.